EP1663795B1 - Plastic container provided with at least one suction cup - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastic container provided with at least one suction cup. Said container comprises a holding recess (15) arranged in a container wall (12) for the holding projection (16) of the suction cup, and also comprises a flat receiving trough (18) arranged around the holding recess. The suction cup can be elastically flattened with the suction cover thereof (19) in the receiving trough such that the suction cup is arranged in an essentially expanded manner in the receiving trough and establishes a flush seal with the external contour (34) of the container wall (12).

Description

The invention relates to a container made of plastic according to the preamble of claim 1.

There are containers of various kinds, such as bottles or tubes, for example, for receiving detergent, detergent, shower gel, shampoo or the like, which are available in various places for use, such as in the home, in the kitchen and in the bathroom or while traveling in the hotel or in the caravan.

It is the disadvantage of such known container, that they have only a small footprint at a relatively high altitude and thus can easily fall over. This happens especially when a large number of containers in a small space together. Such a condition is given, for example, in the bathroom, in which soap and cosmetics bottles are on a shelf or in cramped shelves are arranged in a shower cubicle.

There are already various proposals known to provide plastic bottles in a container wall with an undercut retaining recess for the corresponding undercut retaining projection on the outer apex of a suction cup, with which the container can be attached to a suction suction (eg DE 201 07 912 U1 . DE 1 835 736 U1 ). From the DE 20107912U1 a container according to the preamble of claim 1 is known. In another known plastic container with integrated suction cup ( DE 90 01 543 U1 ) is provided in the container wall, a hollow spherical recess for the suction cup, from the bottom of a pin protrudes with a ball head, on which a rubber suction cup can attach, which for this purpose has a hollow-spherical recess in its foot projection. The depression is to serve the sinking of the suction cup for optical and packaging reasons.

By the invention is achieved to provide a provided with integrated suction cup plastic container, which is also designed to be easy to use and packaging friendly.

According to the invention, there is provided a plastic material container having a container wall to which at least one sucker for attaching the container to a wall surface is attached. The in its position of use beyond the outer contour of the container wall projecting suction cup has a concave inner side, which is formed by inner surfaces of a bottom wall and a projecting from this suction sheath, which extends from the inner surface of the bottom wall in its diameter and is resiliently flattened. On the side facing away from the inner surface of the bottom wall, a holding projection is formed, which is fixed in a complementary, blind hole-like holding recess which is formed in the container wall. In the container wall, a flat receiving trough is formed around the holding recess and the suction jacket is designed so that it can be flattened into a packaging position in which the suction sheath is spread in the flat receiving trough. The receiving trough corresponds in its peripheral size at least the circumferential size of the spread suction jacket and in depth of the thickness of the suction jacket, and the retaining recess is set back from the outer contour of the container wall, so that the inner surfaces of the bottom wall and the spread suction jacket is substantially flush with the outer contour of the Container wall extend.

By means of the invention, therefore, the suction jacket can be spread elastically into the shallow receiving recess in the container wall so far that it comes to lie with its peripheral edge in the peripheral region of the receiving recess. In addition, since the holding recess, in which engages the retaining projection on the outer apex of the suction cup, at a distance from the outer contour of the container wall at the bottom of the receiving trough, engages the bottom wall of the suction cup in the receiving trough, so that the inner surface of the suction cup in the receiving recess Spreading Saugmantel forms a substantially flush continuation of the outer contour of the container wall in the region of the receiving trough and does not project beyond the outer contour.

In the expanded state of the suction jacket, therefore, the contour and the design of the mostly bottle-shaped plastic container are not interrupted. In addition, several containers can be stacked ready to ship without the suction cup interfering with or enlarging the packaging unit. Nevertheless, the suction cup is the consumer immediately ready for use available without the suction cup supplied separately and must be buttoned into the retaining recess later.

The container according to the invention, for example a bottle or a tube or the like, can be attached to any smooth surface, for example the wall tiles of a shower cubicle, in any desired position. This has the advantage, as in the known containers with integrated suction cup, that the container can neither fall over nor fall to the floor, but is firmly held at its accessible position. Containers according to the invention are preferably manufactured by plastic injection molding or by blow molding.

If a container according to the invention is equipped with a plurality of suction cups, the suction cups can be arranged in a common receiving trough. However, it is preferred to provide a separate receiving recess according to the invention for each of the suction cups around the respective holding recess for the holding projection of the suction cup.

Although the inner surface of the suction jacket may be slightly concave curved along its generatrices, it is preferred that the inner surface and otherwise the outer surface of the suction jacket to extend conically with straight generatrices. The circular inner surface of the bottom wall of the suction cup is preferably flat.

Furthermore, although the wall thickness of the suction jacket may be constant over its entire extent, the wall thickness preferably decreases evenly from the foot of the suction cup adjacent to the bottom wall of the suction cup to the peripheral edge thereof.

Furthermore, the retaining recess in the container wall is preferably designed without undercuts for manufacturing reasons, so that the entire recess can be formed without undercuts in the container wall of receiving trough and holding recess. The suction cup can also be designed without undercuts and glued into the retaining recess in such a non-distinctive design of the retaining recess. Here, the holding recess may be designed very flat, so that they are centering for the attachment of the suction cup substantially act and prevent a shearing of the adhesive bond needs.

The suction cup according to the invention, made of soft rubber or soft plastic is preferably held in its expanded packaging position by a cover sheet. The cover film can in this case envelop the entire container or even several containers stacked together according to the invention. However, it is also possible to make the cover as an adhesive label, which is glued to the spread suction cup and the receiving trough surrounding area of the container wall and may have, for example, a bar code or other labeling.

A container designed according to the invention is also excellently suited for travel use, because for this purpose too, the suction cup can be held in its spread state with a conventional adhesive film or a conventional adhesive tape. In this way, the container, such as a shower gel bottle, can be easily taken on trips and is ready to use at the travel location after detachment of the adhesive film for pinning a smooth wall surface available without the need for separate suction cups need to be carried.

• Figur 1 einen erfindungsgemäßen Behälter im Nichtbefestigungszustand in schematischer, nicht maßstabsgetreuer Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt,
• Figur 2 den Behälter gemäß Figur 1 im Befestigungszustand in schematischer, nicht maßstabsgetreuer Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt,
• Figur 3 den Behälter gemäß Figur 1 in schematischer, nicht maßstabsgetreuer Darstellung in einer Frontansicht,
• Figur 4 eine Einzelheit A des Behälters gemäß Figur 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Figur 5 eine Einzelheit B des Behälters gemäß Figur 2 in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Figur 6 eine weitere Ausführungsform entsprechend der Einzelheit A gemäß Fig. 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Fig. 7 die Einzelheit B gemäß Fig. 2 in vergrößerter Darstellung für die Ausführungsform aus Fig. 6,
• Fig. 8 zusätzliche Ausführungsform entsprechend der Einzelheit A gemäß Fig. 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Fig. 9 die Einzelheit B gemäß Fig. 2 in vergrößerter Darstellung für die Ausführungsform aus Fig. 8,
• Figur 10 eine weitere Ausführungsform entsprechend der Einzelheit A gemäß Fig. 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Fig. 11 die Einzelheit B gemäß Fig. 2 in vergrößerter Darstellung für die Ausführungsform aus Fig. 10, und
• Fig. 12 und 13 jeweils einen erfindungsgemäßen Saugnapf in vergrößerter Darstellung mit unterschiedlichen Abmessungen.

On the basis of apparent from the drawings embodiments, the invention will be described and explained in detail. In the drawing show:

• FIG. 1 a container according to the invention in the non-attached state in a schematic, not to scale side view, partly in section,
• FIG. 2 the container according to FIG. 1 in the state of attachment in a schematic, not to scale side view, partly in section,
• FIG. 3 the container according to FIG. 1 in a schematic, not true to scale representation in a front view,
• FIG. 4 a detail A of the container according to FIG. 1 in an enlarged view,
• FIG. 5 a detail B of the container according to FIG. 2 in an enlarged view,
• FIG. 6 a further embodiment according to the detail A according to Fig. 1 in an enlarged view,
• Fig. 7 the detail B according to Fig. 2 in an enlarged view of the embodiment Fig. 6 .
• Fig. 8 additional embodiment according to the detail A according to Fig. 1 in an enlarged view,
• Fig. 9 the detail B according to Fig. 2 in an enlarged view of the embodiment Fig. 8 .
• FIG. 10 a further embodiment according to the detail A according to Fig. 1 in an enlarged view,
• Fig. 11 the detail B according to Fig. 2 in an enlarged view of the embodiment Fig. 10 , and
• FIGS. 12 and 13 in each case a suction cup according to the invention in an enlarged view with different dimensions.

That in the drawing in the Fig. 1 to 3 illustrated embodiment shows a container 10 for receiving, for example, a shower gel, a shampoo or the like, which can be used in bathrooms and lavatories. Containers of this type are made of plastic and are produced economically by plastic injection molding or by blow molding.

Such containers have experience, a small-scale bottom 11 as a base and therefore have no stable stability, but are prone to falling over and falling down.

These disadvantages are eliminated by the container 10 according to the invention. For this purpose, two superimposed holding elements in the form of suction cups 13 are provided in a wall of the container 10, in the embodiment in the front wall 12. The number of suction cups 13 on the container wall 12 can vary and is chosen depending on the size and weight of the container. In the simplest case, only a suction cup is integrated into the container wall.

The suction cup accommodated and held in the container wall 12 is made of a soft elastic material. In the container wall 12, a recess 17 is formed, which has a holding recess 15 and a concentric to the same and lying around the same receiving trough 18. In the holding recess 15, a holding projection 16 of the suction cup 14 is held, for example, by gluing or in which the side walls of the recess 15 have an undercut, which engages behind the retaining projection 16. In the receiving trough 18 of the suction cup 19 of the suction cup 14 is housed in the non-attachment state of the container 10.

So that the suction jacket 19 does not protrude beyond the container wall 12 in the non-attachment state of the container, but terminates flush with the outer surface of the container wall 12, a removable cover film 20 is glued over the region of the receiving depression 18 and the suction cup 13 onto the outer surface of the container wall 12.

This measure facilitates the packaging and transport as well as the sale of the container 10.

After peeling off the covering film 20 from the container wall 12, wherein for easier removal of the cover 20 is provided on the same not adhered to the container wall 12 grip tab 21, the suction jackets 19 and now dominate the container wall 12. In this position, the Container 20 are secured by pressing against a wall surface in a secure position. Falling over or falling down from his stand is no longer possible for the container.

On the other hand, the container 10 can be easily removed from the wall surface, for example, to be taken on a journey. For this purpose, the suction cups 13 can be pushed back into its recess 17 and held by re-adhering the cover sheet 20 or another adhesive strip. For storage and maintenance, the cover film can be adhered to the back wall 22 of the container 10 during the fastening state, as shown in FIG FIG. 1 is shown in dashed lines.

As in particular from the embodiments corresponding to the units A and B from the Figures 1 and 2 shown, the suction cup has a in the position of use on the contour 34 of container wall 12 protruding suction jacket 19, the angle of rotation is 120 to 150 degrees, and a denwand 32, at the back of a holding projection 16 is formed. In the preferred embodiment, the ugmantel 19 has a hollow cone-shaped inner side 30 and a gel-shaped outer side 31 and the circular inner side 33 of the bottom wall 32 is flat. The wall thickness of the suction jacket 19 decreases continuously from the circumference of the inner side 33 of the bottom wall to the free peripheral edge 14 of the suction jacket.

The receiving trough 18 of the retaining recess 15 in the container wall 12 is flat in adaptation to the thickness of the suction jacket 19 and has a size which corresponds to at least the size of the suction jacket 19, when this is flattened into the receiving recess, which respectively from the Detail A can be seen. Since the holding recess 15 is set back by approximately the thickness of the bottom wall 32 of the suction cup with respect to the contour 34 of the container wall, the bottom wall 32 is sunk in the receiving trough 18. When the contour 34 of the container wall 12 extends along a plane, the suction jacket 19 in the packaging position as far into the receiving recess spread in that the inner sides 30, 33 of the suction jacket 19 and bottom wall 32 are also in a common plane with the plane of Contour 34 of the container wall 12 substantially coincides.

The invention can also be applied when the outer surface of the container wall 12 is slightly convexly curved. In such a case, the suction jacket 19 can be spread so far that it coincides along its inner side in all radial sections of the suction cup with the respective contour line of the container wall and therefore in the example according to the outer surface is curved.

In the embodiment of the 4 and 5 the retaining recess 15 and the retaining projection 16 each have an undercut, so that the suction cup is held on its retaining projection in a form-fitting manner in the retaining recess. In the embodiments of the Fig. 6 to 10 however, the retaining projection 16 is cylindrical and the retaining recess 15 is hollow cylindrical or slightly conically widening towards its outer edge. In this case, the retaining projection is glued in the retaining recess.

In addition, in these embodiments, the retaining projection and accordingly the retaining recess are formed relatively flat. In particular, the bottom wall 32 of the suction cup with its side facing away from the inside 33 beyond the bottom wall adjacent to the annular base 35 of the suction jacket 19 and forms with its protruding cross-sectional portion of the retaining projection 16. The height of the retaining projection 16 and corresponding depth of the retaining recess 15 can less than half the thickness of the bottom wall, wherein the height of the retaining projection may be slightly larger than the depth of the retaining recess.

Next takes in the embodiment of the 6 and 7 the depth of the receiving trough 18 according to the decrease in thickness of the suction from radially outward, wherein the peripheral edge 36 of the receiving trough is larger by a small clearance than the peripheral edge of the spread suction jacket 19. The latter is also in the embodiment of the 8 and 9 the case, however, wherein the receiving trough 18 has a substantially constant depth.

In the embodiment of the 10 and 11 The depth of the receiving trough 18 also decreases radially outwardly according to the thickness decrease of the suction jacket 19, so that it has a hollow conical bottom. In this embodiment, however, the receiving trough 18 continues beyond the peripheral edge of the spread-out suction jacket radially outwards until it enters the outer contour of the container wall 12 along an obtuse edge.

In the FIGS. 12 and 13 two suction cups according to the invention different outer diameter of the peripheral edge 14 of its suction jacket 19 are shown. However, their flat cylindrical retaining projection 16 has the same, relatively large diameter c in the two embodiments. The ratio a: c of the diameter of the retaining projection 16 to that of the peripheral edge 14 of the suction jacket 19 is in accordance with the smaller suction cup Fig. 12 two to two and a half, and in the larger suction cup according to Fig. 13 three to four.

Claims (12)

1. Container (10) made of plastic, comprising a container wall (12) to which at least one suction cup (14) is attached for fixing the container to a wall surface, said suction cup (14) projecting in its operating position beyond the external contour (34) of the container wall and having a concave inner side formed by inner surfaces (33, 30) of a bottom wall (32) and of a suction cover (19) projecting therefrom, which expands in its diameter from the inner surface of the bottom wall and can be flattened elastically, and wherein a holding projection (16) is formed on the side facing away from the inner surface of the bottom wall, which is fixed in a complementary blind hole type holding recess (15) formed in the container wall (12), characterized in that the suction cover (19) is designed such that it can be flattened into a packing position in which said suction cover is spread-out in a flat receiving trough (18) formed in the container wall (12) around the holding recess (15), said receiving trough (18) corresponding in its circumferential size at least to the circumferential size of the spread-out suction cover (19) and in its depth to the depth of the suction cover, and wherein the holding recess is set back from the external contour (34) of the container wall, so that the inner surfaces (33, 30) of the bottom wall (32) and of the spread-out suction cover (19) extend to be substantially flush with the external contour (34) of the container wall.
2. Container according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the suction cover has the shape of a hollow cone cover surface.
3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall thickness of the suction cover decreases from the bottom plate to the free peripheral edge of the suction cover.
4. Container according to claim 3, wherein the depth of the receiving trough decreases from the edge of the holding recess towards its peripheral edge in accordance with the decrease in depth of the suction cover.
5. Container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holding recess is formed to be hollow cylindrical without undercuts and the cylindrical holding projection is glued into the holding recess.
6. Container according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the holding projection to the diameter of the peripheral edge of the suction cover ranges from 1:2 to 1:4, preferably from 1:2,5 to 1:3.
7. Container according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bottom wall of the suction cup projects beyond the adjacent foot of the suction cover with the side facing away from its inner surface, and the holding projection is formed by the projecting part of the bottom wall.
8. Container according to claim 7, wherein the depth of the holding recess measures at most half the thickness of the bottom wall.
9. Container according to any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the opening angle of the suction cover has an angular degree of 120 to 150.
10. Container according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the peripheral edge of the receiving trough corresponds to the peripheral edge of the spread-out suction cover.
11. Container according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the suction cup (13) with the spread-out suction cover is kept in the receiving trough by a cover foil (20) placed on the outer surface of the container wall (12).
12. Container according to claim 11, wherein the cover foil (20) is an adhesive tape removably attached to the container wall.

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